Death March — Fixed

“Tek here, when I was first starting out in programming, I would often fail because I could only imitate the outward appearance of other games--without understanding the structure. In my opinion, you have to understand the underlying structure before you can develop anything that can be used practically. However--there are also some rare people who jump over the basic understanding and create new ideas, that’s what is called a ‘natural’ or a genius.”

 

“““HEY BOY--there’s a visitor for ya!”””

 

Suddenly, several masks which hung on the wall, spoke at the same time.

 

Tama seems to have been completely surprised--she drops the cards she was holding, curls her body a little, and raises her tail. Pochi also almost fell out of her chair, but Liza supported her from where she was sitting beside her.

 

These masks seem to be something like an intercom--it wasn’t working yesterday, so there was someone who activated them last night. It might be the mischievous Leprechauns that Tama has talked about.

 

“I’ll go see who the visitor is.” Lulu stands up and rapidly goes downstairs to meet the visitors.

 

We’re currently staying in the tree house that we visited on the first day--we were invited to stay at Mia’s underground house by her mother, but Mia’s father glared at me--and I didn’t want to intrude on their reunion, so we stayed here instead. Though Mia would come up at night, with the well wishes of the others, Mia tried to ‘catch up’ and spent most of the nights with me alone.

 

It’s already been five days since we arrived at the Elven Hometown.

 

I planned on staying for around half a month, so Mia could catch up with her parents, before we left--the idea of leaving Mia behind wasn’t even a consideration. Worst-comes-to-worst, Mia would be, voluntarily, kidnapped by another ‘evil Mage’. She giggled when she heard the idea, then said that I could ‘take’ her whenever I wanted--she seems to be opening up even more since the first night here…Well, her exact words were: “Take, anytime.” With a giggle, obviously unpracticed wink, and flushed cheeks.

 

“Master, Nea has come bringing the dishes that she spoke to me about yesterday.” Lulu reported with a pleased smile.

 

Nea is a 500 year old Elf that loves cooking, she is trying to bring back the dishes that the Hero Daisaku often spoke fondly of. Apparently, Daisaku couldn’t cook, so he would just try to describe the dishes--which is why Lulu spoke to Nea using the recipes that Arisa and I had described, neither of us could do much more than cook meat skewers over a fire.

 

The dish she is collaborating with Lulu to make is hamburger.

 

She lines up five dishes on the table.

 

Lulu and her begin discussing something complex to do with tastes and looks, referencing the recipes that I and Arisa worked hours on--using Memory Magic from her Mind Magic, to get them correct, or as close as possible.

 

We all taste them.

 

Pochi and Tama, the hamburger critics, also taste them.

 

“Nyu? The Hamburger isn’t right?” Tama stares at the remains of the meat on her fork with a slightly betrayed expression.

 

“Hamburger is softer, and elastic, and like ‘Juwatt’ when you eat it! You eat it like, munch, and then happiness!”

 

Liza nods to Pochi’s words, while still happily eating the meat--the corners of her eyes slacken, it seems that she’s really enjoying it.

 

Nana curiously puts some in her mouth, and quietly compliments ‘Delicious’.

 

Lulu comes back with some hamburger that she had cooked earlier--since she had anticipated Nea’s arrival this morning.

 

Nea enjoys the aroma, seeming to be filled with emotion--she even has tears in her eyes when she tastes it.

 

I left the room to take some ingredients out of storage, to give to Nea--as well as some tomatoes--so she could make the meal for the Elves. They seem to worship Daisaku, and his food that he spoke of…the Japanese seem to be rather gluttonous.

 

***

When I returned to the dining room, I noticed that the number of visitors had increased.

 

“Wait Aze, how long are you going to keep eating after saying that you’d only try a bite?”

 

“But, it’s delicious--nom, nom.”

“Nom, nom, not.” Lua is scolding Aialize, the High Elf, who’s sitting at the table and eating enthusiastically. This person really is like a child.

 

The afternoon on the day after our first meeting, Aialize came, led by Lua, to apologize for the prank--since I seriously didn’t mind, I accepted the apology and then apologized for Arisa. She really like Lulu’s cooking, so she would show up randomly during meal times--more than once I woke up in the morning and she was already there and eating.

 

The Pixies, who have wandered in because of the smell, can only speak Elven, so the Elves and I would act as interpreters--but Lua settled it by taking out Translation Rings. They are a really fantasy-like equipment.

 

Even though it’s a rather rare Magic Tool, one that isn’t even among any of the loot I got from Dragon Valley, Lua lets everyone borrow the Rings indefinitely.

 

This rapid gathering of Pixies, followed by Elves, is a pattern that has repeated over the last few days.

 

 

***

I’m drinking green tea that Lulu made while she and Nea are exchanging recipes and cooking methods.

 

I can see Lua pestering Aialize from the edge of my view--it looks like they have some kind of business. I get Arisa to come over, to help Lulu with accompanying Nea, and invite Lua and Aialize to another room.

 

“I’m really sorry for making you leave to attend to us--” Are Lua’s first words as well all sit.

 

Aialize seems to always be shy why it’s just her, me and Lua, she’s sitting there and fidgeting--so I’m mainly conversing with Lua.

 

Then, the irritated Lua begins to press Aialize, “Go on, Aze.”

 

“Um, yes, that.” Aialize talks while facing Lua, but Lua grabs her cheeks and turns her head, facing Aialize towards me. Err, I understand how you feel--but wouldn’t that damage her neck?

 

Aialize’s gaze crosses mine, and she looks like she’s at her wit’s end, and drops a bomb at an extreme pace, “You got along well with the Black Dragon! You’re the Hero, Kuro, aren’t you?!”

 

“Wait, Aze.” Lau hurriedly calms Aialize.

 

“Err, what are you talking about?” I see if I can mislead them--though I doubt it, I just want to try.

 

“I’m sorry. Please allow me to talk about it.”

 

It seems that they found out about me being Kuro because of the Spirit Light I accidentally emitted. People who let out Spirit Light seem to be abnormal even from Lua’s incredibly long memory, “There’s no way that there are two people who let out as much light as you do.” She smiles wryly.

 

It seems that Lua’s familiar was watching the latter half of the ‘fight’ between Heiron and I, and the party after that. I definitely felt a lot of frightened gazes at the time, it must have been among them.

 

Looks like they think I’m using an Advanced-Grade Nature Magic, ‘Fake Patch’, to make my name and title different from that time.

 

“And now, as for the main subject--” Lua is interrupted mid-sentence.

 

“I will! Teach you!” Aialize clenches her fists tightly, declaring in a loud voice as she enthusiastically standing up.

 

I don’t know what she’s going to teach me, but I wait for her next words.

 

She seems to be embarrassed with my stare, she crouches down while her skin goes so red that I worry that steam will come from her long, twitching ears.

 

After a few seconds, she scampers to the side and partially hides behind Lua, “So, that, the way to suppress the Spirit Light! Or the way to prevent the spirits from gathering.”

 

She almost looks like an adult hiding behind their teenaged child--when she hides behind the petite Lua like that.

 

Thus, I’m going to be taught by the extremely unreliable Aialize.